Home Institution
Scripps College
Publication Date
Fall 2022
Abstract
Nests are the literal place of birth of bird species; they are incredibly important in the survival and reproduction of populations. Therefore, nesting behavior is a gateway into the lives and success of the animals. With the degradation of natural landscapes due to human activity, there is more of a need to monitor these nests to ensure healthy inhabitants. The Russet-backed Oropendola (Psarocolius angustifrons) creates unique, pendulous nests that are subject to piracy, parasitism, and predation; as well as weather phenomenon’s such as wind and rainstorms. This study describes the nest construction behavior, nest materials and nest architecture by collecting fallen nests from three nesting colonies on Sumak Allpa. It also looks at the effects of human activity on the predation of Russet-backed Oropendola nests, by observing the number of interactions of competing species at the three sites, where one of them is a human inhabited area. Because of habitat fragmentation and a disrupted trophic cascade, I hypothesized that the human inhabited nesting site would have more interactions with competing species than the other two natural nesting sites. The results did not support my hypothesis, with one of the natural sites having more total interactions with competing species than the human inhabited site. However, there were significantly more contacts between the competing species and the nesting tree at the human activity area. Additionally, seven fallen nests were collected and used to identify materials for different parts of the nests, measurements, and more interesting details. This project aided in describing the history of behavior of Russet-backed Oropendolas, their interactions with other species and the composition of their nests.
Disciplines
Biodiversity | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Latin American Studies | Ornithology | Research Methods in Life Sciences
Recommended Citation
Molina, Claire, "The Nesting Behavior of Russet-backed Oropendola on Sumak Allpa, Ecuador: An analysis of nest construction and interactions with competing species" (2022). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3511.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3511
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Ornithology Commons, Research Methods in Life Sciences Commons
Program Name
Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation